All Forum Posts by: Wesley W.

It sounds like you were suing for possession of the rental unit and nothing more (not unusual).  If that's the case, you'll probably have to sue the tenant in small claims court for the money owed.

Have you paid a deposit?  If not, I'm not sure you have any legal standing as you have not given any "consideration" to execute the contract you signed.

I would make sure that your binder contract has an approximate move-in date, or time period after which either party can walk away if the unit is not ready.  I have a hard move-in date that the tenant must adhere to, but if I cannot provide the unit to them within 14 days (outgoing tenant holds over, tree falls on building, destructive fire, code violations, etc.) they can walk away free and clear, or delay occupancy (their option).

The money they are asking for in advance is absolutely par for the course; I require first, last and security deposit (as well as any pet fees) to be paid before I will even sign a lease with a prospective tenant.

Maybe someone who is more familiar with HOAs can chime in, but it seems possible that they would have their own bureaucracy that they would subject their owners to.

No legal advice given.

The above suggestions are good.  I insist upon a double security deposit to mitigate any sporadic cash flow (never allowed to be used as rent, but covers me a bit more if there is a problem and we need to part ways).

It's easy for me to say since I am not in your position, but I suggest voting with your feet.  This is probably not the last law they will pass to marginalize the "rich landlords" in the pacific NW.

Owning a pet is not a right given to people under the U.S. Constitution.

If qualified tenants are not staying with you long, perhaps you are doing something to alienate them?

@Ihe O.  I understand your strategy with having the rule in place, but Maryland is extremely tenant friendly.  What are your legitimate chances of evicting a paying tenant for a lease violation, and what would that cost you in legal fees?

To add to @Chris Szepessy 's thoughts.  Responsible law-abiding guns owners treat the care & custody of their firearms very seriously.  "Looking for guns" during an inspection (which sounds intrusive at the very least and could be construed by the tenant as harassment) will probably not be productive.  They are not under the mattress like on TV.  They're stored in a safe and secure location, away from children.  Most people I know who are anti-gun have little to no real-life experience with firearms, and use action movies as their sole frame of reference.  But we all know Hollywood is not real life, right?

With all due respect, it sounds like your problem is with tenant screening.

On the continuum of landlord challenges, law-abiding gun owners are among the least of your concerns.  Most gun violence is caused by the criminal element whom do not respect the rule of law nor what it says in our leases.  As someone said earlier, screen the person for the standard metrics and evaluate their character on your interactions with them.